Memorial Day is a time to remember that not all parents can age well. Some give the ultimate sacrifice in times of war, leaving widows and children; others receive injuries that change their lives forever.

Memorial Day, commemorating those who died in military service, was originally called Decoration Day. Its early observance–on May 30th as a time to decorate the graves of war dead with flowers–came in 1868, 3 years after the Civil War.

It was expanded to honor those who died in all American wars at the end of WWI. And in 1971 Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday, taking it from a 1-day holiday observance (unless it fell on a Friday or Monday making for a 3-day weekend) to a Monday observance that created the 3-day holiday weekend we observe today.  (For a full history click: http://www.military.com/memorial-day/)

From the LLMilitaryWife’s YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5KnRaoXTig&feature=youtu.be of this year’s Memorial Day ceremonies at Flanders Field,

…to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl in Honolulu: http://www.mypearlcity.com/story/community/message-editor-memorial-day-2011

…to the reflections of a columnist for the Burlington (Vt.) Free Press,  http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011105290314 

…and the personal experiences of a San Diego (CA) writer, http://www.sandiego.com/sports/memorial-day-2011-flags-friends-and-family 

we sample this weekend’s thoughts and tributes. Help Parents Age Well honors those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

This Post replaces Tuesday’s regular post.